The Race For Tenchi
by Dreamr
Summary: AU: Anti-gravity racing.
1. Default Chapter

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THE RACE FOR TENCHI: Heaven and Earth

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Tenchi Muyo or any of the characters. The events in this story are of my own imagination. The 3-G racer and racing concept is borrowed from the game WipeOut.

FOREWORD: The Race For Tenchi is a racing theme-based alternate universe fic. Seeing as this is an AU, there are few differences between this and the other Tenchi universes. Hopefully, if I've done a good job, everyone who reads this story will understand that. Some of the characters from Tenchi in Tokyo will be used. Feel free to hate the TiT characters, but, please, don't hate me for using them.

AUTHOR: Dreamr

LAST REVISION: 07 June 2003

EMAIL: TrueDreamr@Hotmail.com

BEGIN.

CLICK

"I had a dream to bring great foods to Japan from all over the world."

CLICK

"Oh, no, Mr. Seina! That just wouldn't be proper!"

CLICK

"It's lap four ninety seven of five hundred..."

"Dad! Come here, quick! I found it!"

"All right, Nobuyuki. I'm coming."

Katsuhito Masaki reluctantly joined his son-in-law in front of the television. A 3-G race was on at the moment. Likely this was the race that Tenchi had called them about yesterday. Much to this old man's disappointment, his grandson had somehow become interested in anti-gravity racing while he was away at college. The racing itself was dangerous enough. But in 3-G, the vehicles were both armed and armored. An unseen commentator was listing the current race standings for those watching.

"...and our new-comer, Tenchi Masaki, is secure in twelfth place, in what is for 3-G, a very uneventful race."

"Yeah, go, Tenchi!" Nobuyuki cheered his son on.

Katsuhito grumbled to himself. This was not the path he had envisioned for his grandson. College was supposed to have been an enriching experience for the young man. Instead, Tenchi had taken up with a woman who had convinced him to enter into this 3-G racing circuit. Zipping around in armed vehicles and shooting at people was not to this man's taste. But, to Tenchi's credit, he had publicly stated he would not use any of the available weapons. At least he still had some values. Flashes of light on the TV screen announced a change in the status of the race.

Ryoko tried unsuccessfully to stifle her laughter as her head mechanic's voice came over the radio in her helmet.

"Hello! Crazy girl! Are you listening to me?"

"Yeah, yeah, Washu. I hear you. Whadda ya want?"

"That was a pretty move. But the race isn't over just yet."

"Relax! It's in the bag."

"Tell that to the new guy."

"Eh?" Ryoko glanced at the rearview display that was being projected onto one corner of her wind-screen. Rounding the corner she had just navigated was an older model racer. The only thing odd about that was how fast it was gaining on her.

"What the..."

A low growl began to rattle in Ryoko's throat as she realized that the "new guy" was moving fast enough to overtake her.

"Oh, no, you don't."

Although there were various ways to install a weapons interface in a 3-G racer's cockpit, her preference was a simple thumbwheel on the directional stick, which stuck out from under the instrument console in front of her. Flipping through the different selections available to her, she found what she was looking for. As Ryoko guided her racer through the next turn, she cut the corner tight and mashed the fire button, dropping a string of mines across the track. As soon as she was out of the turn, she looked in the rear-view again. The trailing racer suddenly swerved back into view.

"What the Hell?"

Ryoko began swerving left and right across the short straight-away before the final turn to keep the aggressive new-comer in the center of the display. As long as she could see the racer in the middle of the screen, it meant he was directly behind her, and therefore unable to pass.

The last turn was one of the easiest. As Ryoko exited the curve into the final stretch, she looked for the new racer again. He was no longer in the rear-view. Ryoko looked around. There he was, blazing up on the inside.

"No fucking way!"

Ryoko jerked the control stick to the right, causing her racer to collide with the older model to her right. Her opponent smacked into the circuit wall and spun out. Ryoko continued to look around, dangerously neglecting her forward view. Not until she crossed the finish line did she breathe a sigh of relief.

"Hey, Washu." Ryoko called into her microphone. "Who was that guy, anyway?"

"Number three, Tenchi Masaki. Word is that he runs without any weapons, which would explain why his racer's so fast."

Ryoko thought about that as she took her victory lap.

"Tenchi Masaki. Hmm..."

There would, of course, be the traditional celebration at the winner's circle. But before that, Ryoko wanted to meet the person who had nearly embarrassed last year's defending circuit champion. As she pulled into her pit space, she popped the hatch before her racer was completely stopped. All around, her pit-crew was shouting congratulations for winning the first race of the season. They were of the generic sort of race-junkies and grease-monkeys that enjoyed tweaking cars, drinking, and having a good time. Washu was also there, impatiently tapping her foot. Ryoko flipped her a victory sign.

Washu Hakubi, the team's manager and engineer, was a tall red-head with bright green eyes who appeared to be in her early twenties. She was just a bit taller than Ryoko. They were referred to officially as Team Hakubi, since they shared the same family name. Most people thought they were sisters. Even though it was untrue, neither Washu nor Ryoko ever disagreed with the assumption.

Ryoko turned the release knob for the safety harness. Free from her restraints, she jumped up on the needle-like nose of her red and black tiger-striped racer. All along the pit road, people from various teams were milling around in their form-fitting racing suits. The colors and sponsor patches were as varied as the people wearing them. But the suits were a designated style of jumpsuit that identified the team members to security personnel. Anyone not wearing an official racing suit would theoretically be quickly escorted to a briefing room where they would have to answer to proper authorities. At least it kept the stalkers out.

Ryoko waited until she saw the new-comer pull into his pit area. Then she started hopping from racer to racer, eliciting yells of annoyance from the other drivers, which she completely ignored. What she did not ignore was the hatch of racer number three popping open. She got there just in time to haul out the driver by the collar of his racing suit. She turned around and set him down on the nose of his racer.

"Where'd you learn to drive like that?"

"Um, who are you again?"

With a start, Ryoko remembered she was still wearing her helmet.

"Heh. You really are new if you don't know who I am."

Casually, Ryoko reached up and pulled her helmet off, allowing her waist-length emerald hair to fall free. With golden yellow eyes and a sleek, sexy frame to go with her hair, Ryoko had the sort of attention getting beauty that made men ache with desire, and women glare with jealousy. She was extremely confident in her looks, and not afraid to show off what she had to offer. With slow grace, Ryoko reached up to her collar and grasped the zipper of her suit. She pulled it down to its usual post-race position between her breasts, revealing a generous portion of cleavage.

"So?" She asked, smiling suggestively. "Now you. I show you mine, and you show me yours. That's the way it works."

Her competitor's lack of an immediate response indicated her little show was having the intended effect.

"Eh? Oh, right."

Ryoko couldn't help feeling a little bit of anticipation. The new guy had a good build and a sexy voice, even if his head was obscured by his helmet. As her opponent's face was revealed, Ryoko suddenly felt like a school girl again. Tenchi Masaki had the typical dark hair and eyes of a normal Japanese man. But his skin and features spoke of years of hard work in the sun. His short hair had lost its sheen from too much outdoors work. Here was a man who was not afraid to get his hands dirty. Unless she missed her bet, he probably helped the mechanics with their work. What she liked the most was how he was looking in to her eyes, rather than skimming over her entire body.

"Was there something you wanted to say?"

Ryoko blinked in surprise as she realized she was being spoken to.

"Yes! I mean, yes, there is. Um... shit." She scratched at the back of her head with her free hand for a moment as she tried to remember why she was standing where she was. "What was it? Oh, yeah! You drive pretty good. Since you only lost because I ran you off the track, and I don't want you to think I have anything personal against you, why don't you stop by my team trailer later? We'll be having a little victory celebration."

Tenchi's gaze narrowed a bit with suspicion at Ryoko's intentions. But before he could answer, a girl called his name.

"Tenchi-kun! Come down here so I can congratulate you!"

"My girl-friend." Tenchi explained to Ryoko.

It took a second for the term to click in Ryoko's mind. She looked down to see who the competition was. The woman Tenchi claimed as his girl-friend looked fairly typical at first glance. But a longer look showed that she was thin and quite pretty. She had short, dark hair, and green eyes. Since green eyes on a person of any Eastern race was unusual, she could see how Tenchi might be interested in her. But, then again, Ryoko's own looks were even more exotic. She would not be difficult to overcome.

"Right. Well, door's open." With that, she began her return trek across the roofs of the other racers.

Tenchi stared at Ryoko's retreating form until she arrived back at her own pit. When Ryoko turned and waved, he half-heartedly waved back.

"Tenchi-kun!"

"Okay, Sakuya. I'm coming."

Tenchi leapt down from his racer, carefully avoiding the heavy gravity field that kept the vehicle floating above the ground. His girl-friend was quick to embrace him.

"Hey, Sakuya. I just got invited to a party. Why don't we go together?"

"Really? That would be great!" Sakuya's eyes shone up on Tenchi with love and adoration. "We can celebrate your first race."

"Something like that." Although Tenchi was amendable to a party tonight, something about this Ryoko person set him on edge. It was not a bad feeling. In fact, it reminded him of when he had met Sakuya. Besides that, it might pay off to learn a little more about the other competitors.

According to the 3-G commission's marketing research, the viewing audience for this year's opening race was expected to number over five million. This was very pleasing to the commission's executive committee, as well as the person who had conceived of the project. First Princess Aeka Masaki, daughter to the Emperor of Japan, and the circuit's founder, was watching the race with her younger sister, Sasami, from their private booth.

The 3-G project was Aeka's brain-child. The nation of Japan had been going through a prolonged recession. Many people were out of work, and the stress on the welfare system had been taxing the entire nation. Construction of the tracks required for this kind of racing generated many jobs, taking people off the welfare system. Those who went to the races generated tax revenues, further easing the economic burden placed on the government. Now, as 3-G gained in popularity, the racing teams were attracting big-name sponsors. In only its third year of operation, the 3-G racing circuit was looking to be a major cash-cow for all involved.

In addition, it made Sasami happy. Aeka watched as her sister gleefully stared at the racers. The 13-year-old loved going to the races. She could sit for hours watching the competitors zip around the closed track. Even with all of the fancy high-tech monitors in this room, Sasami still preferred to watch from the huge window. Aeka preferred a little more information about what was going on behind the scenes. So she paid more attention to the video feeds, with their attendant data links. As this first race of the season neared completion, Sasami began jumping up and down, and pointing out the window.

"Sister Aeka! Look! Look! Ryoko's making her move!"

Aeka grimaced at that news. Ryoko Hakubi was reputed as the dirtiest driver in the circuit. It was a reputation she deserved, for Ryoko often caused multi-vehicle pile-ups with her wanton use of weaponry. Even worse, she was a show-off, and a braggart. Her post-race antics in the winner's circle were legendary. Unfortunately, her aggressive behavior made her very popular with the general public. She was the competitor everyone loved to hate; a real bad-girl. Now, if only someone would emerge to oppose her.

"Hey, Aeka, who's number three?"

"Why do you ask?"

"He's catching up to Ryoko."

"What!?" Aeka quickly glanced down the list of competitors for today's race. "Number three, Tenchi Masaki."

"Masaki like us?" Sasami actually spared a moment to look back at Aeka for confirmation.

"I don't know." Aeka got up from her seat to join her sister at the window. "Perhaps... hey!"

"Ah! She got him!"

The two sisters watched Tenchi's racer pinball from wall-to-wall as a result of Ryoko's side-swipe maneuver. Fortunately for him, momentum kept him moving forward so that he was still able to finish in second place.

"That cheater!" Aeka shouted.

"Not she's not." Sasami disagreed. "It's perfectly acceptable to run somebody into the wall."

"But it was still dirty."

"Well..."

"And now I have to give that woman a trophy. How revolting."

"I could give Ryoko her trophy." Sasami offered.

Aeka was tempted to accept the offer. But, if she did, it might seem like she was playing favorites.

"No. I have a duty to fulfill, no matter how distasteful it may be."

Sasami lifted her hands from the window sill and stood up to her full height. She was a growing teen-ager, and very soon she would be nearly her sister's height. Though eleven years separated them, Sasami was only a couple of centimeters shorter than her sister. It was likely she would exceed Aeka's height when she grew older. For the moment, the only part of her that was higher from the ground than Aeka was her ponytail. Previously, she had her blue hair tied into twin tails that arced all the way to the ground. But, now that she was growing into a young lady, the style no longer suited her. Combined with her big, pink, doey eyes, it had been nearly impossible to get people to stop calling her a cute little girl until she had taken the tails out and redone her hair into it's current single ponytail. Now she looked very much like her mother, Misaki.

Aeka, on the other hand, looked nothing like her sister. She was the child of the Emperor Azusa and his first wife, Funaho. Her own dark auburn hair was cut to a flat edge in the back, with twin tails that hung down her back almost to the floor. Her deep red eyes commanded instant attention from any who saw them. Fortunately, her kind demeanor shown through in her face, lessening the severity of her gaze.

"Time to get official." Sasami sighed. "Shall we?"

"Yes."

Aeka held her distaste in close confidence as she ascended the steps to the raised dais where Ryoko was waiting to receive her prize, along with Washu. There were reporters galore in attendance, and each seemed armed with an entire squad of cameras and microphones, each itching for a scandalous remark from either of them. Of course, Ryoko was always happy to oblige them. Her racing suit was unzipped halfway down, giving those watching a scandalous view of her womanly assets. What really galled Aeka was that this woman's assets were larger than her own. Ryoko had a way of making her feel somehow less than what she knew she was. It was a very disagreeable feeling that Aeka went out of her way to avoid. But, on days like this, it was impossible to escape. Aeka stopped at an arm's reach from Ryoko and eyed her warily. Ryoko said nothing. She only leered at her, knowing what was about to occur. Turning to the audience of reporters and onlookers, Aeka cleared her throat, indicating she was about to begin. Once they were quiet, she pasted her best political smile in place.

"Congratulations to Team Hakubi for yet another well fought win. On behalf of the 3-G Executive Commission, I wish you luck in the future."

Ryoko reached out with one hand to receive her "well fought" trophy from Princess Aeka. They glared at each other, despite the false smiles they both wore. She knew full-well that Aeka hated her guts. In her opinion, the princess was just jealous of her. Ryoko was living a good life, having fun and getting paid for it. Aeka, while she enjoyed a great deal of political power, had a great deal of responsibility attached to that. It was plain to Ryoko which of them was enjoying herself more, despite the difference in social standing. In her sweetest, sugariest voice, Ryoko gave her standard sarcastic response.

"Thank you, so much for your kind words, Princess Aeka. I'm thrilled to know you care so much about my career." Ryoko pulled on the trophy, but Aeka seemed to be holding it a little tighter than last year. Ryoko's false smile faltered a bit as she pulled harder. Aeka relented, allowing Ryoko to have her public reward. Of course, the real reward was the 1.2 million yen (about $10,000) cash prize for taking first place. At least the circuit was making enough money to pay for the prizes, unlike the first two years. Now that the official ceremony was concluded, Aeka turned around and stalked off the stage.

Washu peered over Ryoko's shoulder to examine the trophy.

"Not bad. I'll trade you for the champagne."

Ryoko was quick to accept that offer. She held the trophy up to Washu and snatched the proffered bottle from her. Giving it a good shake first, she stuck her thumbs under the plastic stopper, and gave it a push. The stopper flew from the neck of the bottle with a pop. It struck the shaft of a microphone boom, then struck a camera right in the main objective lens, cracking it. The stopper continued on it's crazy flight, striking a metal support rod for the stage, an overhead lighting fixture, and then the back of Princess Aeka's head. Thrown completely off-balance, Aeka did a face-plant at the foot of the stage steps. People rushed to assist the First Princess. They were so engrossed with Aeka that no one noticed Ryoko snickering at her misfortune.

"How the mighty have fallen."

END.

AFTERWORD: Next up, Tenchi and Sakuya go to Team Hakubi's victory party.


	2. What BadGirls Want

THE RACE FOR TENCHI, Chapter 2: What Bad-Girls Want 

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Tenchi Muyo or any of the characters. The events in this story are of my own imagination. The 3-G racer and racing concept is borrowed from the game WipeOut.

FOREWORD: The Race For Tenchi is a racing theme-based alternate universe fic. Seeing as this is an AU, there are few differences between this and the other Tenchi universes. Hopefully, if I've done a good job, everyone who reads this story will understand that. Some of the characters from Tenchi in Tokyo will be used. Feel free to hate the TiT characters, but, please, don't hate me for using them.

AUTHOR: Dreamr  
E-MAIL: TrueDreamr@Hotmail.com  
LAST REVISION: 18 February 2004

* * *

  


BEGIN.

Tenchi stood in front of the thin door to Team Hakubi's group trailer. The entire towed expanse of living space was a run-down mess. This place gave trailer park trash a good name. How such a successful team could live in such squalor was beyond him. He felt almost embarrassed bringing Sakuya to such a place. Although Ryoko had not explicitly said that he could bring a date, it had been implied by her off-hand comment before scampering across the racers.

"Tenchi, are you sure this is the place? I mean, look at it. What do they do with all their money?"

By the sounds of the cavorting inside, Tenchi could make a pretty good guess where the team's winnings went. The large rubber trash can just beside the door was already half-full with various alcoholic beverage containers.

"Well, I'm sure it's better on the inside." Tenchi hoped as he knocked on the door. The occupants grew momentarily quiet as someone other than themselves made his or her presence known. The door suddenly swung inwards. Ryoko stood before them, dressed in the most garish outfit (he did not dare call it a dress) Tenchi had ever seen. She was wearing red and white, skin-tight spandex from the waist down. Above that she had a very disturbing orange and black vest with long coat-tails. Tenchi's first impression was that she looked like a court jester. All she needed was the cap to complete the outfit.

"Tenchi!" Ryoko squealed in initial surprise. "Glad you could... uh..." Then she noticed Sakuya. "Who's that with you?"

"Miss Hakubi, I'd like to--" Tenchi didn't even get his introduction out before Ryoko interrupted him.

"Oh, heck, no! Call me Ryoko. Miss anything makes me sound like an old maid."

"Right. Well, this is my girl-friend, Sakuya Kumashiro."

"Hi." Sakuya waved with apparent enthusiasm.

"You didn't say you had a girl-friend."

"Um, actually, I did."

"You did?"

"Yes." Tenchi firmly answered, daring Ryoko to withdraw the invitation with his tone. Ryoko locked her eyes onto his, searching for any weakness or uncertainty. She felt her heart quiver when she found none. Impressed by his strength of character, she stood aside, even holding the door open for them.

"I guess it's all right. Come on in." As she stood aside, Ryoko noticed her pit crew were all looking in her direction and smiling.

"What are all of you staring at?"

As one, the five men raised beer cans and answered alike.

"You!"

Ryoko slapped a hand to her face in disgust.

"Get back to your game."

"Yes, ma'am!" They cheerily answered, returning their attention to the cards they held in their hands.

"As I was saying... Glad you could make it."

"Well, you did invite us. So... is this it?"

"Yup. It's just a little team spirit thing."

"Right." Looking around, Tenchi did not see much spirit except for what was in the six pack of cans Ryoko was holding in her right hand.

"Here you go." Ryoko handed an unopened can of beer to Tenchi. He promptly handed the can to Sakuya without so much as batting an eyelash.

"Thank you, Tenchi."

"You're welcome."

Ryoko watched the exchange with less than hidden envy. Reluctantly, she pulled another can and handed that one to Tenchi as well.

"So." Ryoko said matter-of-factly while Tenchi and Sakuya stood before her. The young lady next to Tenchi happily popped the top of the can and took a few sips of the content before looking around the trailer's interior. When she saw the card game going on at the table, she turned fully to the table and her eyes began to gleam.

"Are you guys playing poker?"

The five men looked at her with knowing smiles.

"That we are." One of them answered. "You know how to play?"

"I play a little bit." She naively answered.

The mechanic's smile grew wider.

"Why don't you join in, then?"

Sakuya cracked a big smile.

"Tenchi, do you mind if I play?"

"No, of course not, Sakuya." Tenchi answered without hesitation. He knew from college that Sakuya had a bit of a gambling habit. It was nothing serious. But she knew several popular casino games, and how to win at most of them. Although he could have said no to her, Sakuya would remember later. There was an extra folding chair set against the wall behind the door. As Sakuya took the chair from it's place and opened it so she would have a seat, the men moved apart, giving her a place at the table.

"Tenchi."

Taking his eyes off of his girl-friend, Tenchi returned his attention to Ryoko. He nearly jumped when he noticed how close she had moved to him. He took a small step back, inadvertently putting himself at just the right distance to notice just how much cleavage her outfit showed. Tenchi tried to remember why he hadn't noticed such an obvious aspect of her outfit upon first seeing it. After a second he realized it was because the steps to the door were lower than the trailer floor, thereby keeping the opening in the front of her outfit from casual view. His curiosity satisfied, Tenchi returned his eyes to a more appropriate location. He immediately noticed Ryoko's knowing grin. He'd been caught.

"Come on over here, Tenchi. I've got just the thing."

Ryoko moved away from Tenchi while holding his sleeve. She meant to drag him to the couch so that she could introduce him to her favorite video game. But seeing him give her a healthy lookover, she felt the familiar surge of excitement that always accompanied the realization that someone found her attractive. Tenchi had only looked for a second, but the way he had looked told her enough. Smiling from ear to ear, she led Tenchi to the couch.

"Have a seat, Tenchi. I'll get the controllers."

"Controllers?"

"Mm-hmm."

Leaving Tenchi to sit, Ryoko went directly across the small entertainment room to the entertainment center. If the outside of the trailer was squalid, this particular area of the interior was like a luxury suite. The entertainment center was extravagantly equipped with all the latest sound and holographic display capabilities, including total sound immersion speakers, a 3-D holographic projector, and 3-dimensional interactive holographic game system. If she had been by herself, Ryoko would have simply crouched down in front of the screen to turn everything on. But, since Tenchi was sitting right behind her and she wanted to impress him with her looks, she bent over instead.

Seeing Ryoko's intended display, Tenchi quickly looked over his shoulder at Sakuya. She was already hunched over the table with a small stack of chips. She happened to glance his way and waved at him. He gamely waved back.

"Okay, Tenchi. We're all..."

Ryoko started to fume when she turned around and saw Tenchi flirting with the annoying trollop at the card table. Of course, she was his girl-friend and he was entitled to flirt with her. But that didn't make Ryoko feel any better. Having heard Ryoko talking to him, Tenchi turned back to the front so could see what she wanted.

"Yes?"

Barely stifling her annoyance, Ryoko continued where she had left off.

"Like I was saying, We're all set-up."

"Set-up for what?"

Ryoko just smiled as she set the holo-pro controllers down on the floor in front of them.

"You'll see."

A few seconds after she sat down a short distance away from Tenchi on the couch, the holo-projectors came on-line, immersing Tenchi in a world of sound and light. He was surprised to find himself in the introduction to the new 3G racing game simulator. He was even more surprised to find that it was actually a remake of an older game.

"Oh, wow!" He exclaimed, looking around the translucent 3-D world. "This is amazing!"

"Isn't it?"

"But, why this game? I mean, we'll both be back on the track next week."

"Oh, I thought you might like a rematch."

"A rematch, huh?"

"Yup."

Tenchi thought about it for a second, then smiled. It was, after all, just a game.

"All right. You're on."

Ryoko's smile grew as immense as her excitement.

"I'll set it for the real track. It's got some fake tracks, too, if you want to try those later."

"Well, lets start with the real one. I've never played this before, so I need a few minutes to get used to it."

"Oh, it's easy!" Ryoko assured him. "All the controls are interactive touch-pads. Just slide a finger through the display and it does what you want."

Reaching out into the air, Ryoko pushed a hand through the large start icon. Several options popped up in mid-air. She snatched at them rapid-fire until the open world view was suddenly replaced by the interior of their respective racers.

"Practice run." Ryoko informed Tenchi of the purpose of this demonstration. "It's a generic racer most teams can start with on the circuit. It's a wimp ship compared to mine. But for a beginner it should be good."

"Oh, so I'm a beginner, am I?"

"Until you prove otherwise." Ryoko grinned at Tenchi.

"I see." Glancing around him, Tenchi found the acceleration and guidance controls. As Ryoko said, they weren't standard stick controls, but linear touch-pads. Touching the near-end of the accelerator slide image made his racer move forward at a slow speed. Releasing the accelerator left the speed control at it previous position. Tenchi played with the accelerator for a few seconds, alternating goosing it and reducing the output by varying amounts until he got the idea of how sensitive it was, and how well the game simulated inertia. Of course, he couldn't feel the inertia like in a real racer, but the outside image still reflected what he expected of a racer. It was a fairly good representation. When the racer thudded into the side of the track, he even noticed the slight shimmer of the safety shields. The guidance control was even easier to use. In fact, he found he could guide the faux ship with one finger.

"Jeez, maybe they should put these controls in a real racer."

Ryoko's knowing chuckle seemed quite ominous to Tenchi.

"What's so funny?"

"We did."

"You're kidding! Is that legal?"

Suddenly, Tenchi saw another racer flash past him at full speed. The image was so close that he nearly jumped out of his seat.

"That was you, wasn't it?"

The image surrounding Tenchi was not opaque. He could still see the real world around him. But only barely. Seeing Ryoko's displays was completely impossible from inside his own display.

"Catch up and find out."

Tenchi stared at the holographic racing track for a second. His resolve hardened, and he pointed the racer down the curving trail.

"All right. Here we go." He said, giving the racer a swift kick in the pants.

The race was on.

* * *

  


It was some time later when someone threw her arms around Tenchi's neck right as he was about to catch Ryoko on the final leg of a long fast track. Tenchi jumped in surprise.

"What the -- ?"

With Tenchi's attention diverted, the racer continued on it's course unguided. Sakuya's cute face was right next to his.

"Having fun?"

"Ah, yeah. Actually, this is pretty cool."

With her head inside the confines of the holographic display, Sakuya was able to see everything that was going on. So, when the outside of a rather imposing curve suddenly loomed in front of her, she couldn't help but notice.

"Tenchi, look out!"

Tenchi looked forward, but it was far too late. His imaginary racer plowed into the wall at full speed with an astoundingly loud bong sound. Ryoko immediately started cackling at the distraction that had just sealed the race for her. She couldn't help teasing Tenchi just a little.

"Don't get distracted!"

With a growl of determination, Tenchi returned his attention to the race. But Sakuya stayed with him. Her lips gently tickled his earlobe as she whispered into his ear.

"Tenchi, we've been here almost two whole hours. I wanna go home."

"Just a minute, Sakuya. I'm almost done."

"I wanna go now." Sakuya punctuated her desire by licking the fringe of Tenchi's ear.

Tenchi's attention quickly began to waver as Sakuya used her feminine wiles to convince him her interests were best for both of them. His in-game performance quickly degenerated to little more than a joke as his racer careened from wall-to-wall. Ryoko's racer zipped past his, lapping him easily.

Seeing Tenchi's racer at a virtual stand-still as she flew by him, Ryoko used the opportunity presented by a long straight-away to peer through her holographic display at what was going on beside her. Although she couldn't actually see inside Tenchi's display, she could see Sakuya was still half in with Tenchi. Ryoko didn't have to see what was going on inside to envision it. She ground her teeth with jealousy. Angrily, Ryoko swatted at the pause icon as hard as she could. The pause menu came up and she quickly exited the race, causing the holo-controls to disappear. The game world was still visible, but they were no longer obscured from each other by the cockpit displays.

"Well, I think that's enough of that!"

Tenchi's eyes snapped open. At the same time, Sakuya released her teasing grip on his ear.

"Ready to go, now?"

"Uh... yeah. Yeah, we've been here for a while. I think it's time we headed back to the hotel."

"Great!" Sakuya turned to a steaming Ryoko and smiled. "It was really nice of you to invite us over. I was afraid everyone would be really competitive and not want us around."

Ryoko tried to smile through her gritted teeth.

"Heh-heh. It's... not quite like that."

"Well, I'm glad to hear it." Tenchi replied as he got to his feet and made his way towards the door with Sakuya on his arm. "I'm sorry for leaving so abruptly."

Ryoko turned over on the couch, facing the door while propping herself up with her arms on the back of the couch. She cast an angry glance at Sakuya, then returned her attention to Tenchi. It was obvious why he was leaving so quickly. But still, she had been hoping he wouldn't be the easy type.

"Hey. Whatever you gotta do."

Tenchi turned to the door, only to get it right in the face when the closure swung open unexpectedly without so much as a may I. Washu Hakubi came striding into the trailer.

"Okay! I finished retuning the anti-grav controller. It should be top-shape for the next race." Pausing in her pronouncement, Washu noticed the new couple standing next to the door, who were busily inspecting Tenchi's nose for signs of damage. "Who's this?"

Sakuya directed an annoyed glare at this new woman.

"You really should be more careful. What if Tenchi had been hurt?"

Washu's eyebrows danced as she tried to decide if she should be curious or indignant. She eventually settled on a combination of both, with one brow raised, and the other lowered.

"Excuse me, but I live here."

"Sorry!" Tenchi apologized for the incident regardless of who was responsible. "I'm Tenchi Masaki." He introduced himself with a bow.

"Oh! Now I get it!"

Sakuya also introduced herself in the same manner.

"I'm Sakuya Kumashiro."

"And you brought a chaperone. Good thinking. She won't be able to sink her claws in so easily."

"Eh?" Tenchi looked at Washu in confusion.

"Hey!" Ryoko shouted at Washu from the couch. The red-head laughed out loud.

"Ha-ha! I'm just kidding."

From her position on the couch, Ryoko could see that Sakuya didn't appreciate Washu's humor. The girl looked her way just long enough to see if she were watching. Ryoko smiled malevolently, and Sakuya quickly looked away.

"Well, we were just one our way out." Sakuya reminded everyone.

Smiling now that the tense moment had been avoided, Tenchi turned to Ryoko to thank her for the invitation again. He was going to bow, but he happened to notice that he could see right down Ryoko's front again due to her slightly inclined position over the back of the couch. His pause was enough for his girlfriend to notice. Sakuya took one look and nearly blew a fuse. Ryoko had been flirting with Tenchi all evening. This was just too much. She grabbed his arm and began physically dragging him through the still open door.

"Well, thanks for having us. Goodnight!"

Tenchi was still staring when the door slapped close in his face. Ryoko just stared at the door. She was so intent on Tenchi that she failed to notice how quiet it was in the room, or the fact that Washu was studying her very carefully. A sly grin slowly spread across Washu's mouth.

"I wonder what you're thinking about?"

Ryoko broke her vigilance to remind Washu to mind her own affairs.

"Shut up!"

With a couple of snickers, the five male mechanics that made up the rest of Team Hakubi began to file to the door.

"Done already?" Washu asked, giving the men a disapproving look.

"That girl cleaned us out."

Washu started laughing as Ryoko turned away to sit on the couch like a normal person. She sat still, thinking about this evening. Tenchi wasn't the type she usually went for. But Ryoko still felt attracted to him. She couldn't for the life of her figure out what it was that she found so appealing about him. While she continued to consider this, Ryoko noticed Washu heading to the washroom.

"Washu."

"Yes, Little Ryoko?"

"Don't call me that. And I want you to find out more about that guy."

"That doesn't sound very professional to me."

"He said that this was the first time he ever played this game. But, he almost beat me."

Washu peeked out the washroom door.

"Really? I thought that was your favorite game."

"It is."

Washu withdrew back into the small room with a thoughtful humming sound.

"I'll see what I can find."

Ryoko grinned. Her interest was definitely professional. But that didn't mean she couldn't use the information Washu would soon acquire for personal reasons, as well.

END.

* * *

  


AFTERWORD: Next, Party time!


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